After receiving the highest ratings in 11 years last week (23.1 million viewers), figures for Sundays episode ‘Pranksta Rap’ were down 15 million viewers all the way to a rock bottom 8.1 million. This makes the episode, featuring guest star 50 Cent, the lowest rating episode of the season. While there were high hopes that last week’s Super Bowl episode would increase Simpsons viewership in the long term, it seems to have had the opposite effect and people turned off in droves this week. Midnight Rx which aired about the same time last month attracted 8.2 million viewers but Sunday’s episode managed lower. The Grammy’s were the big winner in the 8pm hour, followed by Extreme Makeover Home Edition and Dateline NBC, leaving The Simpsons and Arrested Development in fourth place just ahead of WB’s Charmed. The show should be able to pick up next Sunday when the much anticipated Gay storyline will take place.
